Avionics News September 2021 - 24

AVIDYNE'S VANTAGE FLIGHT DISPLAY SYSTEM
Continued from page 23
Insights on the Vantage EFD's
Cirrus installation
As mentioned earlier, Avidyne has a lot of experience
with the various trials and tribulations related to aftermarket
avionics installations. To help ensure that the entire process
goes as smoothly as possible for both the aircraft's owner and
Vantage installer, the company is taking a fresh look at its
installation instructions and guidelines.
" With the Vantage upgrade program for the SR20 and
SR22, we are going to provide a lot more support specific for
that aircraft type, " Schwinn said. " For example, because of
the larger displays, the installation will require a new panel,
so we will provide detailed drawings for the avionics shop to
fabricate those parts.
" While we've designed the system to be easy to wire, there
are some connectors that will have to be modified, and the
installation kit will have precise instructions and diagrams
covering those changes. We are also looking at some wiring
harness providers to make up kits to further simplify the
installation path. "
Another advantage avionics shops will have regarding
the Vantage EFD's installation is that Avidyne has designed
the system around reusing many of the aircraft's current
components and subsystems. Again, the goal is to save time
and money.
Big displays plus a big fleet
equals a big opportunity
Schwinn explained that while Avidyne works hard to make
every aftermarket upgrade product attractive to pilots, with the
many advantages the program offers and some 4,000 Entegraequipped
Cirrus SR-series aircraft in the market, the Vantage
upgrade could be, well, big.
" We see this as a fleet-wide upgrade for these legacy Cirrus
aircraft, so we want to take the extra steps to make it as easy
and inexpensive as possible for owners to have installed, " he
said. " We also want to make it attractive for our dealers - they
are our connection to the customer.
" Avidyne has a lot of exceptional dealers, and many of
them also specialize in Cirrus aircraft. We have already been
talking to a number of our more active Cirrus dealers in
preparation for the first batch of installations once we get FAA
certification. We want to work with them to get the Vantage
installation program down to a science. Our goal is the
smoothest entry into service that the industry has ever seen. "
While that's certainly noteworthy, Schwinn said that an
added benefit to achieving consistency among all of the
installations is it will help Avidyne and the dealers provide
24 avionics news * september 2021
better long-term support to the owners.
" We will be supporting these aircraft for many years to
come, " he said. " When someone calls in with an issue, we
want to be able to provide a quick solution. Consistency and
commonality are key to doing that. "
21st century capabilities
at a 20th century price
By now, you're wondering how much does all of the
Vantage EFD's many capabilities and benefits cost? Well,
probably less than you'd expect.
Right now, Avidyne is quoting a retail price of $25,000
for the dual Vantage EFD units (not including installation).
Owners will, however, have to trade in the operating cores
from the Cirrus' Entegra panel.
Those who have shopped for a glass upgrade recently know
it's not a bad deal considering all you get with Vantage: dual
12.1-inch displays with hybrid touch, Wi-Fi connectivity to the
iPad and other devices, 3D synthetic vision, terrain, obstacle
and traffic displays, built-in ARSs - the list goes on. Plus,
no doubt it will deliver a significant boost to a Cirrus' resale
value.
As mentioned earlier, the only caveat is that if an owner
wants to be an early adopter, the aircraft must already be
equipped with a pair of Avidyne's IFD-series GPS/nav/comms
and a DFC90 autopilot. Those units are part of the initial FAA
STC program.
If a Cirrus is not currently equipped with those Avidyne
products, owners must add them to the Vantage shopping list.
Still, with all the capabilities the package will deliver in terms
of reliability, functionality, situational awareness, and safety,
it's still an extremely attractive upgrade path.
According to Schwinn, once the Vantage program gains
traction, Avidyne will certify variations that will enable the
system to be installed with other popular third-party avionics
equipment. This is not a one-and-done package by any stretch
of the imagination.
" Vantage is our total refreshing of Avidyne's aggressive
participation in the big display upgrade business and is our
core product architecture going forward for a long time, "
Schwinn said. " There's no question that this system will
evolve, and eventually, we will introduce many variants of the
displays to better fit the panel form factors of other aircraft
types - but, no matter, they will all be big displays.
" Big displays are clearly what customers want, so that's
what we're going to take the lead in providing. People expect
us to bring out products that are different than the competition.
Vantage is a significant market entry and gives us a platform to
keep doing that for a long time. " q
To learn more about Avidyne, visit avidyne.com.
http://avidyne.com
Avionics News September 2021

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